"The Rising of the Sun"

By: Lady Jenna

"Discipline, and strength, gotcha Baba," a little girl said standing at the bottom of a pole stuck vertically in the ground. She wore clothes that Chinese Soldiers in training wear and had her hair tied up into a large bun on the top of her head. She held two straps tied to two rounded stones that were about the height of her leg. Her father stood beside her standing with his shoulders straight and his head held high.

"You need both to reach the arrow," he told her with the strict tone of Chinese General.

"I know Baba, we've tried this a hundred times, and I still can't lift these things!" the girl said and grunted as she tried to lift the heavy stones.

"You're not supposed to have to carry them as a burden, you must use discipline and strength together, like partners," a tall elegant woman said and walked over beside the girl's father.

"Your mother learned that the hard way," her father joked.

"Right after your father tried to convince me to quit," her mother quipped.

"I was just a captain then."

"That's right, now you're my father, General Li Shang," the girl said as she dragged the stones toward the pole.

"And married to the most famous woman in all of China," Shang said and smiled to Mulan. Mulan knelt down and rubbed her hand in her daughter's hair.

"When Ming grows up, she will become the most famous woman China has ever seen!"

"But first she has to reach…"

"The arrow! I got it again Baba!" a young woman said from the top of a pole stuck vertically in the ground. She had two straps connected to two rounded stones slung over her shoulder. Her father stood on the ground below her, looking up at his daughter.

"Alright you can come down Ming, that's enough training for today," Shang told her as she climbed down the pole.

"I've gone up and down that pole so many times it's getting worn," she commented as she walked toward her father.

"Yes, you've become a very good soldier. If you weren't my daughter I'd be proud to have you in my army," he said as they walked toward the house, the sun beginning to set behind them.

"Were I any other daughter I would be in your army," she grumbled.

"Your mother and I have discussed this with you, Ming. You are our daughter, not our son, you will not run away, and you will not dress like a soldier."

"But I'm dressed as one now Baba! All the men of both country and court see me as their equal!"

"As do the women. You meet with the Matchmaker in a matter of days, do well my daughter."

"Won't you be here?"

"Sadly, no. We've gotten report of disturbances along the Hun boarders, I leave in the morning."

"Oh but Baba, can't they send the local troops?"

"They have, three days ago."

"And?"

"Yesterday the head of every man in those troops were delivered to the Imperial Palace," he answered and bowed his head. Ming gasped in surprise.

"Their… heads?" Ming asked and placed her hand to her throat.

"A soldier's life is not a life of joy, my young daughter. It is a horrible life to lead."

"Then why do so many men become soldiers Baba?"

"Some men have no where else to go, some try to regain honor, others just have much loyalty to China."

"I am loyal to China! I am as loyal as any man!"

"But not as loyal as any daughter, no girl but you would talk to her father in such a tone as you," he said. She walked out in front of him and made him stop walking.

"I was raised a soldier, Baba. Not a daughter, nor a wife. I would much rather die in battle then to bear any child."

"I'm sure your husband will be very disappointed," he said and stepped past her and entered the house.

Ming lay in her bed awake. The sun was just rising and the orange light came through her window and made a shape on the wall at her feet. Her raven black hair fell in front and behind her face. She gripped her pillow tightly as she heard her mother bidding her father farewell then the sound of his horse trotting out of the yard. She didn't want to go out to say good bye to her father. She had done it so many times before, it was always the same. He hugged her, kissed her on the check, and promised his quick return. He'd give her the pendant he wore around his neck and asked her to hold it for him until they met again. She heard the soft steps of her mother on the wooden floors approaching her door so she quickly began to pretend to be asleep. The door to her room opened and she heard her mother enter. Mulan walked over to the bed and set something on the table beside it. Ming heard her mother leave and the door close. She waited until she could no longer hear her mother's steps. She opened her eyes and saw her father's pendant on the table beside her bed.

Fa Li walked into the room and shook her granddaughter awake. Ming moaned slightly not realizing she had fallen back asleep.

"Ming, wake up, you have chores to do," her grandmother told her. Ming sat up and yawned. She matted her hair down hoping she wouldn't look too ridiculous.

"Grandma? What time is it?"

"Seven, and the chickens are hungry."

"Then the chickens and I have something in common, hmm," Ming said and rubbed her stomach. Her grandmother sat next to her on the bed.

"Mulan tells me you didn't see your father off this morning," she said worriedly.

"It wouldn't be different then any of the other times."

"Your father has a very powerful job, he has incredible responsibility. He is an honorable man, you should do much to learn this."

"I know he is a good man, a good general, but as a father he leaves things to be desired."

"When your mother was young, very young, your grandfather was a soldier. She said much of the same things about Zhou that you say of your father."

"Yes, but then Grandpa got hurt, and could no longer be a soldier. I don't want to wait for Baba to get hurt before I can have a father."

The rest of the day went normally with less training and more studying, and the nagging feeling that something was missing from the family's life. Ming sat in her bed as the sunset reading by candlelight. She read the words aloud trying to remember them.

"Perform your duties quietly and carefully. Reflect before you act," she said to herself. She huffed angrily and lay back onto her bed. She set the papers on the table beside her bed.

"I can impress the Matchmaker, that's no problem. Whoever I marry will think I'm perfect. Oh but I don't know how I'll be able to live my life as just a housewife. Serve tea, give birth, and raise children. Never have any fun. What a terrible future," she said and blew out the candle. Mulan stood outside her door, listening to her daughter's grief. Mulan sighed and walked away.

The sun had set so the stone sidewalk was cold beneath Mulan's bare feet. She kept a quick pace until she reached the altar where the ancestor slabs were kept. She lit the incense over her family's slabs and knelt.

"Oh great ancestors, you have helped my family and myself much in the past, but please, oh please ancestors, help my daughter find joy. She is young but smart beyond her years, and very talented, she is my pride. Please great ancestors of the Fa family, help my daughter find her true happiness," Mulan prayed. She could feel the presence of Mushu smiling on her and she smiled herself.

"Thank you," she said.

"Ming! Ming! Wake up you'll be late!" Fa Li said rushing into her granddaughter's room frantically. The morning sun had risen and the room was a bright yellow.

"Don't worry Grandma, I'm ready," Ming said as she walked over to her grandmother wearing a pink, purple and blue dress which covered her feet and hands. Her hair was tied up with a flower pin holding it in place; a lock of hair fell over her forehead. Her face was painted white with blue over the eyes and dark red lips. Fa Li smiled at the sight and smell of her beautiful granddaughter.

"Your mother was incredibly late for her preparation for the Matchmaker, I am glad to see you are on time."

"I was raised the daughter of a general Grandma, time is very important. I wish this weren't so uncomfortable though," she said and scratched her back. Her grandmother smiled.

"A woman does very few things that are comfortable in her lifetime," Fa Li said as they started walking out of the room and down the hall.

"Oh joy," Ming said sarcastically. They walked out of the house and joined with Mulan. They walked out through a crowd of people come to see the porcelain dolls march to what Ming considered the end of their future.

"Bring honor to us Ming," her grandmother told her and Ming walked quickly to the other dolls.

"Be nice," was her mother's advice. Ming smiled and joined in at the end of the line. The two dolls in the lead went to the left; the next two went to the right, leaving Ming to take the center. They all unfolded their umbrellas and bowed low to the ground, hiding them from the Matchmaker's house. The Matchmaker stepped gracefully from behind the doors. She was very elegant and beautiful. Ming stared at her in awe from behind her umbrella.

"Li Ming," the Matchmaker said in a melodic voice. Ming rose as gracefully as she could and folded her umbrella. The Matchmaker turned to go inside of the door.

"Follow me," she said. Ming walked into the house as gracefully as she could but she could sense she still had a soldiers step. She could hear some people outside chuckling as the doors closed behind her. The room was laced with fine clothes, plants, carved wood, and the scent of tea with mint.

"You have a man's step," the Matchmaker said walking around Ming after closing the doors.

"I am sorry," Ming said to the Matchmaker's surprise.

"Don't be, when my brother and I were young, I would mimic his soldier training, I walked like a man for years," she said and laughed slightly at the memory, putting Ming more at ease.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to have you recite anything, I just say I do to scare you," the Matchmaker said sitting behind a table and beckoning Ming to join her. Ming sat across the table from her, her feet folded under her.

"Then how do you make matches?" Ming questioned beginning to pour the tea for both of them by habit.

"I judge a girl by her manor and personality, not by her memory. Young men tend to enjoy a person rather then a puppet."

"Oh," was all Ming could think to say.

"So you are the daughter of General Li. That makes you my great niece you know?"

"It does?" Ming asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, I am Li Liang, your grandfather was my brother."

"I did not know my father has an aunt."

"He might not even know. You see I didn't marry, my family disowned me. My brother and I kept in touch and some how I became the Matchmaker for the Imperial Court. Life works in funny ways sometimes."

"I have long ago learned that lesson," Ming said and sighed. Liang laughed.

"Indeed, I have forgotten who your mother is. I saw her standing in the crowd, a very elegant woman."

"She could still whip me clean in a fight though," Ming said relaxing her back. She realized she was slouching and straightened her back immediately. Liang laughed some more.

"So you have been trained as a soldier. You'd be surprised how many families wouldn't mind having a girl with military training marry their son."

"A wife and bodyguard in one."

"Indeed. Though I doubt how much the men like it."

"I can imagine it'd be quite humorous, a tall man being protected by his porcelain doll wife," Ming said and took a sip of her tea.

"I never liked that term, to mean all the girls are not at all doll-like. They tend to be either nervous or incredibly annoying. Don't let the princess fool you, she came to me last year, she's a snake of a woman. Tried to bribe me to let her marry a handsome man instead of a rich one."

"What did you do?"

"I made her marry the richest and oldest man I could find."

"You are a Li!"

"I said I was. Her father was quite glad for the match too, her brother got a kick out of it as well."

"You know for the life of me I can't remember his name…"

"Who, the prince? De Sheng, he's joined the army you know."

"I'm sure my father will be glad to know that he can boss around the future emperor when he returns."

"Where has the General gone?"

"I'm afraid I can't say."

"You certainly are loyal."

"I'm sure that will help find me a husband."

"Finding a suitable husband for you shall not be hard, you are the most astounding woman I have ever met."

"You say that because I am your great niece," Ming said rising as Liang did.

"You speak your thoughts as well. Tell me, Ming, do you wish to marry?"

"I wish to bring my family honor."

"But do you wish to marry?"

"I do not."

"Then I shall find you a man who feels the same. Good day Li Ming, good luck," she said and bowed. Ming bowed too.

"And to you, Great Aunt," Ming said and left, not bothering to hide her soldier's step.

Li Ming rode as fast as the wind on a sturdy bay horse through the fields on the outskirts of her village. She heard the sound of the horse's hooves hitting the farmed ground mix with the sound of the uncut wheat hitting the horse's legs. She felt herself rise and fall with each motion and step the horse made. She could feel the wind from speed blowing on her face and keep her hair flying behind her. She smiled at the taste of true and complete freedom. She heard her name called and looked over to see a farmer waving to her. She waved back and yelled a greeting. The horse stopped suddenly and Ming went flying through the air with a deafening scream. She landed in the sandy creek that was right at the horse's feet. Ming grumbled and pulled a leaf from her soak hair. She stood up and walked back onto dry land. She shook her legs to hopefully get water off them. She took off her shoes and poured water from them. She squeezed out her hair and then shook herself like she had seen wet dogs do. She had always wanted to try it. Her head spun and she felt dizzy. She paused for the feelings to go away before she mounted her horse and turned him around.

"You have a weird sense of humor," she said as she urged the horse to trot homeward.

Ming walked into the courtyard of her home still squeezing water from her hair just as an Imperial Guard trotted out of the large wooden doors on a white stallion. Mulan stood alone in the middle of the courtyard holding a scroll and her head looking down. Fa Li stood by the door into the house looking at her daughter with worry. Ming walked over to her mother, her shoes sloshing with each step, getting covered with dust from the courtyard's ground.

"Mother?" Ming asked worriedly, seeing the sad expression on her mother's face. Mulan looked up at her daughter and wiped an oncoming tear from her eye.

"Ming, daughter, your father's troops have been captured by the Huns. Di Ren, the Hun general, has asked for my head in exchange for the troops," Mulan explained. Ming was too shocked to react, so Mulan continued.

"The Emperor, the Emperor says he will recruit more soldiers for a rescue mission. He is hopeful."

"He is lying," Ming finally said, gritting her teeth in anger.

"I know, but it was all he could say. You should know, I sent to him that if, that if the recruits are unsuccessful, I will give myself up."

"Mother you can't!"

"I can, and if I must, I will," Mulan said simply.

"So either way I lose a parent!" Ming yelled and ran past her grandmother to her room crying. Mulan sighed and a tear ran off her chin and landed in the puddle of water where her daughter had just been standing.

The next day Ming performed her duties quickly and angrily. Mumbling worries and regrets to herself. As she was sweeping the stone steps in the back of the house she heard the sound of a horse hoofs coming through the front gate. She quickly dropped her broom and ran around to the front of the house. She got there in time to see a man in soldier's garb dismounting a horse. She knew who she was at once and smiled widely.

"Ling!" she yelled as she ran over to him. He noticed her and smiled back as she hugged him.

"Hey watch the armor Ming, I wouldn't want you to bang it up or anything," he said. She punched him playfully on the chin. The smile on her face turned into a worried expression.

"You're not supposed to be home for another month…"

"I know. They, they've called for me to join the army since I'm doing so well at the academy. They want me to look for Baba. They told all of us that we would be meeting in front of the Imperial Palace to receive orders tomorrow morning. It's only a mile from here so…"

"It is good to see you brother," Ming told him.

"Good to see you too, I kind of felt like only half myself when you're not around."

"Mother says twins are like that."

"How is Mother?"

"I haven't spoken to her since we found out, I wasn't at breakfast."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't hungry."

"At the academy they tell us it is better to grieve with food in your stomach then to just grieve."

"We have no reason in which to grieve Ling."

"You're right, of course."

"Now let's go tell Mother of your arrival, it will lighten her spirits."

Ming mumbled to herself as she scrubbed the floor in the Armor Room. Here they kept the armor that belonged to her grandfather and her mother. Along with the sword of Shan Yu and the Emperor's crest. There was a cupboard for her Father's armor but it was bear with the exception of his father's helmet and sword perched on top of it. There was also a cupboard for Ling's armor, which had been placed there early in the day. Ming dropped the dirty cloth into a bucket of dirt water. She dried her hands on her pants and walked over to the cupboard holding her twin brother's armor. It was night so the room was lit by candlelight. Ming had developed an odd quirk, when she couldn't sleep she'd clean. She opened the cupboard and studied the armor in the flickering candlelight. She ran her hand over the finely woven breastplate. The armor would fit her easily, she knew, she had been the model for it as it was being made for her brother. They looked alike and were the same physical type, only she was a girl. She lifted the sword and held it in her hands and went through the paces. Both of her parents had taught her how it was to be a soldier. She was as good as any man. As she was placing the sword back a roll of paper tied with red string fell from somewhere on her brother's armor. She picked it up and read it. It was his order to the Imperial Palace. Ming gripped it in her hands and looked over at the cupboard holding the armor her mother had worn when she had saved China. Ming smiled as she rushed from the room.

Ming walked into her room and changed into her training gear. She wrapped her hair up in a bun and wiped the make-up her grandmother made her wear off. She was about to leave the room when she saw the moonshine glimmer off of something near her bed. She turned around and saw her father's pendant on the table by her bed. She walked over and picked it up. She lifted it around her neck and left the room.

She walked into the barn in full armor, it had been awhile since she had worn armor, and it felt odd but natural. She saddled her horse and mounted it.

"Let's go! And you can leave your sense of humor here," she said as the horse took off. Ming could feel the sword at her side bouncing with the animal's movements. The moon was beginning to vanish and the sun was rising, giving just enough light for her to see. She learned how to ride a horse going back and forth to the Imperial Palace and had ridden there many times since, so she knew the road well. She could get to the Imperial Palace in about fifteen minutes, she could get something to eat and still be early to get her instructions. She ran her story through her mind to make sure she got it right. Her name was Li Ling, son of General Li Shang, and had been ordered to come to the Imperial Palace. All she had to do was keep her chest hidden, her hair up, and answer to the name Ling. She could do that, she knew she could. She'd be so good of a soldier she'd move up through the ranks and be put in the troops that would go to rescue her father. She would bring her father home. She swore that to her mother and family as she rode into the Imperial Palace.